Apparatus for scarfing slabs of different widths



Dec. 5, 1950 J. L. ANDERSON 2,532,335

APPARATUS FOR SCARFING SLABS OF DIFFERENT WIDTHS Filed Feb. 23, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a F INVENTOR Q .JAMEs L. ANDERSON ATTORNEYS Dec. 5, 1950 J. L. ANDERSQN APPARATUS FOR SCARFING SLABS OF DIFFERENT WIDTHS Filed Feb. 23, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JANET L. ANPERJ'ON Q5/2512 a: a

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 5, 1950 APPARATUS FOR SCARFIN G SLABS OF DIFFERENT WIDTHS James L. Anderson, Closter, N. J assignor to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, a, corporation of New York Application February 23, 1946, Serial No. 649,549

10 Claims.

L flihis invention relates to scarfing machines for thermo-chemically removing surface metal from metal slabs.

In the scarfing of metal slabs, the slab is usually supported on a mill table and advanced over the scarfing torches which project a row of jets of scarfing oxygen against the under surface of the slab while the metal is at kindling temperature to progressively remove the surface metal. It is desirable that a scarfing machine be capable of scariing slabs of diiferent widths within a certain width range and of doing so without gas wastage resulting from the existence of idle jets beyond the edges of the slab when scarfing slabs of less than the maximum width.

If coordination between the row of oxygen jets and the width of the particular slab being scarfed involves endwise shifting of the tip structure of the torches, it is desirable that the necessary coordination be obtainable without the necessity of shifting the tip structure for any great distance in either direction laterally of the slab from the normal central position of the tip structure, or without the necessity of causing the tip structure to project laterally too far beyond one edge of the mill table, because the usual standards which support the rolls of the mill table and between which the scarfing machine must be 1ocated do not provide much clearance beyond the edges of the mill table. Even when one or more standards are removed at one side of the mill table to permit positioning of the scarfing machine under the mill table, the standards at the opposite side of the mill table do not allow ex-' tensive lateral shifting of the torch support in that direction. The principal object of the invention is to provide a scarfing machine which has these desirable features.

The particular machine hereinafter described was designed for scarfing slabs up to 62 inches in width, but the invention is not limited in this respect and the machine may be designed for scarfing slabs of even greater width.

In the preferred form of the invention the machine comprises a plurality of torches having tips of the block type assembled in end-to-end relation and each having its own separately controlled supply of gases. The center tip has a length measured transversely of the slab which corresponds approximately to the width of the narrowest slab which the machine is likely to be called upon to scarf, say a 20 inch slab. The

entire assembly of tips has a length which corresponds approximately to the maximum 20 inch slab can be scarfed by the center tip alone when the gases are supplied to it and shut off from the other tips, and the maximum width slab can be scarfed by all of the tips functioning in effect as a single tip when gases are supplied to all of them. The torch tips that are disposed outwardly of the center tip and at either end thereof are shorter than the center tip. Preferably, these other tips includes a number that are of the shortest practicable length and others Whose length is a multiple of the length of the shortest tips. For instance, the torch tips disposed outwardly of the center tip include some having a length of 2 inches and others having lengths of 4 inches, 6 inches and 8 inches. By properly arranging the torch tips a continuous group of tips can be selected whose composite length corresponds approximately to the width of any slab between the 20 inch slab and the 62 inch slab, and by supplying the gases to and only to the tips of such group the slab can be scarfed by the selected group of torch tips without undue gas wastage and without the necessity of moving the tip assembly very far in eitherdirection from of the scarfing machine and part of the means for separately controlling the supply of gases to each torch tip;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, drawn to a larger scale, of the upper portion'of the torch support showing the end face of one of the torch tip and showing the tip-shoe in transverse section;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the torch tip shown in Fig. 3 removed from the torch support and the shoe;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a more or less diagrammatic plan view of the tip assembly shown in Fig. 1;

The entire scarfing machine has not been illustrated in the drawings since a showing of the torch tips, the tip assembly, and the means for separately controlling the supply of gases to each torch tip is sufficient for a full understanding of the invention.

Referring first to Figure 1, the assembly of torch tips is shown at 2|. The assembly is made up of a number of tips of the block type, all of the tips except the center one being similar in construction. The construction of the tips outwardly of the center tip can best be understood from Figs. 3, 4 and 5. As shown in these figures each of such tips comprises a block 22 having a row of jet passages: 23 (Figs. 3 and communicating with a longitudinal bore 2d which is drilled into one end of the block and plugged. at its open end as shown at 2%. This bore constitutes a gas distributing chamber forthe jetv passages 23. Scarfing oxygen is deliveredt-o the distributing chamber 24 by means of. an inletpipe 25 and a short vertical passage, 25 (Fig, 3) in the tip block. The jet passages 23 terminate in a row of discharge orifices 2.? (Fig. 4) in the discharge face 28 of the nose portion 290i the tip block. There is a second longitudinal bore 30 (Figs. 3 and 5), closed at its open end by a plug 33; (Fig. 5.), which constitutes a gas distributing. chamber. for theusual row of preheat jet. passages. 91.. These. are located above the scarfing oxygen jetpassages 231 as, shown in Fig. 3- and. terminate in dischargeorifices 32. in. the discharge face of the tip (Fig. l). jet,p assages. are, preferably arranged in groups of; three so. that. there are. threev preheat dischar e, orifices. 32 under each scarring oxygen dischargeorifice 2'1. (Fig. 4).

The. center tip cliiTers from the other tips in, that. it, has. two. separate distributing chambers for, the. scar-fling oxygen formed by longitudinal. bores. drilled, into opposite ends of the block, andihas twoseparate distributing chambers for the, preheating gas, mixture likewise formed by, longitudinal bores. drilled into opposite ends of the. block. Oxygen is deliveredto each scarf ing oxygen. distribu ing chamber by its. own inlet-pipe. 2.51 (Fig. 1) .v One scarfing. oxygen distributing, chamber feeds half of the. scarfing oxygen. i81 passages and the other half are fed by the scarfing. oxygenv distributing chamber atthe other end; ofjthe, block. Similarly,.each of. the distributing chambers for the preheating gas mixture feeds half of the preheat jet passages.

Each of the tips outwardly of the center tip has a single mixer 33' from which a mixture of. oxygen and a fuel. gas such as acetylene issupplied" to the tip through a pipe section 343 and a Short vertical passage 35in the tip block lead ing, tothe distributing chamber 3%,(Fig. 3.). The center tip has two of such mixers one, for each. of-its-two distributing chambers for the preheat.- ing gas mixture. As is well understood inthe art the combustible gas mixture issuing from the preheat jet passages, when ignited, producesa. series of preheating flames at the discharge orifices 32. These bring the metaLat the under surface of the. slab to kindling, temperature so that; the sc rfing oxygen issuing from the discharge orifices 21 of the jet passages 23. will prpgressiyely remove the, surface metal whenthe .erably carried by the torch support and bears,

ageinstv the under surface of the'slab during the scarf-mg; operation and keeps, the, torch tips in proper relation to it.

Thejet passages 23 are preferably so drilled The preheat into all of the tip blocks that the centers of their discharge orifices are spaced about 1 inch apart, the center of each end discharge orifice being about inch from the corresponding end or" the tip block so that when the tips assembled end-to-end the discharge orifices will be uniformly spaced throughout the length of. the entire tip assembly.

The center tip has a length which corresponds to; the width of the narrowest slab which the machine will probably be called upon to scarf. In the particular machine illustrated in the drawings the center tip has a length of 20 inches as indicated in Fig. 1. The entire assembly of tips has a length which corresponds to the width of the widest slabwhich the machine is designed to scarf. In the particular machine illustrated in the drawings the length'of the entire tip assembly is. therefore 62 inches. Thus, by supplying gases to the center tip only, this tip can be used. for scarfingZOinch slabs, with substantially no. gas wastage, and can be used for scarfing even narrower slabs if so desired, but. in that case there would be some. idle gas jets beyond one or both edges of the slab. By supplying gases to all of the. tips the entire tip. assembly can,be used for scarfing a slab of the maximum width. If the tips at either side'oi the center tip, were all. given a length of 2 inches, which is aboutthe minimum practicable length, a group of. tips-.couldalways be selected to scarf any slab from.20 inches to 62 inches and could be brought into approximate registry with the slab to be scarfed by a very slight endwise shifting of the tip-assembly. from its normal central position.

However, a. large number of tips would then be required. to give the tip assembly the overall length. required for scarring a slab of the maximumwidth. Some, of the tips, outwardly. of the center tip, are thereby given a length of 2 inches,

and others are. given lengths which are multiples thereof: Then by properly arranging the tipsin theassembly, a group of tips can always be selected to scarf any slab from 20 inches to 62' inches, as above explained but it will then be necessar when scarfine slabs of certain 20 inches to 62 .inches. In this figurethe length in inches isindicated on each torch tip and it will be seen that they are arranged inthe following,

order from left to right, as viewed in the drawing: 2-.2-28.24-2026--2i26.

When the tipsare-given these lengths and arranged in. the order stated, the maximum distance the. tip. assembly would ever have to be. shifted to either. side of its normal central posi-.

tion to-bring agroup of the tips into approximateregistry with a slab to be scarfed is ap proximately 5 inches. In attaining this result us,e is-.made of as few. 2 inch tips as possible and the least possible number of tips of each multiple length-.-

Any appropriate means maybe employed. for

separately controlling the supply of. gases to each torch tip. In. the particular machine illustrated inthe; drawings the valves which control the;

supplyxof gases to. each torch tip are actuated by' electro-magnetic devices which are controlled.

A,v torch assembly. of the kind shown in Figure 1 has been found most suitable for scarring slabs from.

from a remote station. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 all of the above-mentioned supply pipes 25 for delivering scarfing oxygen to the torch tips communicate with a scarfing oxygen header 39. There is a valve 4!] in each scarfing oxygen supply pipe 25 which is actuated by a solenoid 4|. As above described, each torch tip is also supplied with a mixture of oxygen and acetylene or other fuel gas from an associated mixer 33. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 each mixer is supplied with preheating oxygen by means of a supply pipe 42 and is supplied with acetylene or other fuel gas by means of a supply pipe 43. All of the preheating oxygen pipes 42 communicate with a preheating oxygen header 44 and all of the acetylene supply pipes 43 communicate with an acetylene header 45. In each preheating oxygen pipe 42 there is a control valve 46 (Fig. 2) .actuated by a solenoid 41, and in each acetylene pipe 43 there is a control valve 48 actuated by a solenoid 49. All of the solenoids may be controlled from a remote control station (not shown) in a manner well understood in the art. The control mechanism is so arranged that all ofthe valves for controlling the supply of gases to the center tip are simultaneously actuated to either turn on or shut off the gases in all of the pipes leading to this tip. If desired, the center tip could be divided into two physically separate inch tips, in which case both of the centermost 10 inch tips would be used for scarfing a 20 inch slab.

The jets delivered by the torch tips preferably fan out as indicated in the plan view of the tip assembly in Fig. 6. To effect this the jet passages are formed in each tip at the appropriate angle to the longitudinal axis of the mill table or the slab to be scarfed as shown in Fig. 5. In the center tip half of the jet passages will be inclined toward one edge of the slab and the other half will be inclined toward its other edge to produce the divergent arrangement of jets indicated in Fig. 6. The end faces of the torch tips may be oblique as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 in keeping with the divergent jets produced by the tips.

The tip assembly may be made capable of endwise movement in any suitable way. For instance, the torch support 36 may be mounted for movement laterally of the slab on a suitable carriage in a manner well understood in the art. Moreover, the torch tips may be watercooled in accordance with conventional practice, but the water circulation system and cooling.

passages in the torch tips have not been shown in the drawings to avoid undue complication of the illustration.

It will now be seen that in scarfing a slab of maximum width (62 inches) represented at S in Figure 1, the entire tip assembly would be utilized to scarf the slab, the scarfing oxygen and preheatin gases being supplied to all of the tips. For a 20 inch slab only the center tipwould be employed. Scarfing oxygen and preheating gases would be supplied to this tip but the supply of gases to all of the other tips would be shut off. For a 22 inch slab, or any slab between 20 inches and 22 inches in width, the tip assembly would be shifted 1 inch to the left as viewed in Figure 1 to bring the center 20 inch tip and the adjacent 2 inch tip into approximate registry with the slab. Scarfing oxygen and the preheating gases would then be supplied to these two tips and shut off from all of the others. For a 24 inch slab, or any slab between 22 inches and 6 24 inches in width, the center 20 inch tip and the adjacent 4 inch tip would be used and the tip assembly shifted 2 inches to the right as viewed in Figure 1. For a 26 inch slab, or any slab between 24 inches and 26 inches in width, the center 20 inch tip and the adjoining 2 inch and 4 inch tips would be used and the tip assembly shifted 1 inch to the right. Following this through, it will be seen that a group of tips can be selected for every slab between 20 inches and 62 inches in Width which can be brought into approximate registry with the slab. In some cases the selected group of tips will be in its proper position of approximate registry with the slab when the tip assembly is in its normal central position and no endwise shifting at all of the tip assembly will be required, whereas in other cases an endwise shifting of the torch assembly of 1 inch or more will be required to bringthe selected group of tips'into approximate registry with the slab, the maximum shifting that will be required in the case of the assembly shown in Figure 1 being 5 inches. The operator, knowing that a run of slabs from the rolling mill will be of a certain width, selects a group of torch tips whose overall length is suflicient to scarf the slabs of that width, turns on the supply of gases to the selected tips only, and shift the entire tip assembly endwise to bring the center of the s lected group of tips into approximate registry with the center line ofthe mill table. The slabs are seldom exactly centered on the mill table and it maybe necessary for the operator to shift the tip assembly endwise as each slab approaches the scarfing apparatus to brin the selected group of tips into approximate registry with the slab. If the slabs being scarfed have a width which is an even number of inches, it is theoretically possible to scarf the slabs by the selected group of tips without any jets being projected beyond the edges of the slab. In other words it is theoretically possible to select a group of tips which can be brought into cx act registry with the, slab. However, the slab may be an odd number of inches in width, in which case one or two idle jets may be projected by the selected group of tips beyond one or both edges of the slab. Or a slab may lie askew on the mill table, 1. e. be misaligned so that its longitudinal axis is not parallel to the center line of the mill table, and in that event the operator will have to turn on the gas supply to a sufiiciently large group of tips to take care of the overall width of the misaligned slab, and therefore at one time or another during passage of the slab over the tips there will be some idle jets at one or both sides of the slab. If the slab lies very much askew on the mill table, the operator may turn on the gas supply to a group of tips correspondin in length to the actual width of the slab and may shift the entire tip assembly endwise as the slab is being scarfed in order to keep the group of active tips in approximate registry with the slab as it moves over the torch tips, thus eliminating to a large extent the extra jets that would otherwise be required for the misaligned slab. The operator may obtain the same result by operating the gas control mechanism as the misaligned slab moves over the torch tips to turn on the supply of gases to one or more tips at one side of the slab and simultaneously turn off the supply of gases to one or more tips at the opposite side of the slab so that thegroup gas-gees i. of'act-i've tips will in :effect iollow the slab :area to bescarfed as zitshifts laterally. 01' the operator may combine the two operations of physically shifting the torch assemblyand varyin the gassupply to ith'e tips-during passage of the slab over the tip assembly, as occasion requires.

While a tip assembly of "the .kind shown in Fig. l is well suited for the scarfing o'f slabs ranging in width from inches to 62 inches without the necessity of 'ever shifting the torch assembly endwise very far from its normal central position, the-tips may be given other lengths and arranged in *a different way toadapt them for scarring slabs that do not fall within this range.

I claim:

1. A machine adapted to scarf slabs of any width up to a certain 'maximum width comprising a plurality of torches having block tips assembled in end-'to-end relation, each tip having oxygen jet passages terminating in discharge orifices in the discharge face of the tip, the discharge orifices in the tips being arranged so that inthe assembly of tips they form a continuous seriesin which the orifices are substantially uniformly spaced throughout the assembly, the'assembly of'tips comprising a center tip and a plurality of other tips located outwardly of the center tip at both ends thereof, the center tip having a length which adapts it to scarf slabs up to a predetermined width andeach of said other tips being s'horterthan the centertip, and each of the torch tips having its own independently controlled oxygen supply means.

2. A machine adapted to scarf slabs of any width up to a-certain maximum width comprising a plurality of torches having block tips assembled in end-to-end relation, each tip having oxygen jet passages terminating in discharge orifices in the discharge face of the tip, the discharge orifices in the tips being arranged so that in the assembly of tips they form a continuous series in which the orifices are substantially uniformly spaced throughout the assembly, the assembly of tips comprising a center tip and a plurality of other tips located outwardly of the center tip at both ends thereof, the center tip hav ing a length which'adapts it to scarf slabs upto a predetermined width and said'other tips being of shorter length than the centertip and including some that have a predetermined minimum length and others whoselengths are approximately multiples thereof, and each of the torch tips having its own independently controlled oxygen supply means.

3.-A machine adapted'to scarf slabs of any width up to a certain maximum width comprising aplurality of torches having block tips assembled in end-to-end relation, each tip having oxygen jet passages terminating in discharge orifices in the discharge face of the tip, the discharge orifices inthe tips being arranged sothat in the assembly of tips they form a continuous series in which the orifices are substantially uniformly spaced throughout the assembly, the assembly of tips comprising a centertip and a plurality of other tips located .outwardlyofthe center tip. at both ends thereof, the .center tip having a length which adapts it toscarf slabsup. to a predetermined width, and said othertips. including, some that are approximately .two inches long and others .whose lengths are multiples of two inches, and each of the torch tipslhaving its d own independently controlled oxygen gsupply means.

.4..A machine adapted to scarf slabs of any width ranging from a slab .of certain eminimum width to a slab of certain maximum vWidth,;said machine comprising :a plurality .of torches .havingblocl: vtips assembled in end-toend relation, each tip having oxygen jet passages terminating indischarge orifices in the discharge face ,of the tip, .said torch tips being not all of the same length-but of such lengths and :arranged-insuch order that for every slab between said minimum and maximum widths'there willbe a tip or continuous group of tips whose length corresponds approximately to the width of the .slab to :be scarfed, and each of the torch tips having its own independently controlled oxygen supphl 5. A machine adapted to scarf slabs .of any width up .to a-certain maximum width comprising aplurality of torches having block ttips rassembled in end-.to-end relation,'each tip having oxygen jet passages terminating in discharge orifices in the'discharge face of the-tip, -saiddis .charge orifices in the tipsbeing arranged aSOilihfit in the assembly'of tips they form a continuous series in which the orificesaresubstantiallyruniforrnly spaced throughout the assembly, each torch tip having its own independently con- 0 trolled oxygen supply means, said block tips beingof assorted lengths measured transversely of the slab, a plurality of the centermost tips having a composite length suificient forthem'ito scarf slabs up to'a predetermined width,,-and the .tips outward of said centermost 'tips including some that have a predetermined minimum length and others whose lengths are multiples thereof.

A machine adapted to scarf slabs of any width up to a certain maximum Width comprising a plurality of torches having block tips passembled in end-to-end relation, eachtip having oxygen jet passages terminating in discharge .oriiices inthe discharge face of the tip, the assembly of tips comprising a center tip and a plurality of other tips located outwardly of the center tip at'both ends thereof, the center tip havings'a length which adapts it to scarf slabs up :to apredetermined width, and each of said other tips being shorter than the centertip, and each torch tip having its own independently controlled gas supply means.

I. A slab scarfing machine in accordancewith claim 6 in which said other tips located :out-

'ardly of the center tip are of assorted lengths. 8. A machine adapted to scarf slabs .of any width up to a certain maximum width comprising a torch tip structure having oxygen jet passages terminating in a row of discharge orifices in the discharge face of the tip structure, and independently-controlled oxygen supply means for groups of said oxygen jet passages, said groups of oxygen jet passages not all having-the same length but one group having a length which adaptsj it to scarf slabs up to apredetermined width and other groups being shorter than said one group.

9. A machine adapted to scarf slabs of any width up toa certain maximum width comprising a-torch tip-structure-having oxygen jet passages terminating in a row of discharge orifices in the discharge face of the tip structure, and independentlyv controlled oxygen supplymeans.- for groups of said oxygen jet passages,.- said :groups of oxygen ietpassages comprising a .centengmup and a plurality of other groups located outwardly of the center group, the row of discharge orifices of the center group having a length which adapts them to scarf slabs up to a predetermined width and the row of discharge orifices of each of said other groups being shorter than the row of discharge orifices of the center group.

10. A machine adapted to scarf slabs of any width up to a certain maximum width comprising a plurality of torches having block tips assembled in end-to-end relation, each tip having oxygen jet passages terminating in discharge orifices in the discharge face of the tip, the discharge orifices in the tips being arranged so that in the assembly of tips they form a continuous series in which the orifices are substantially uniformly spaced throughout the assembly,,the assembly of tips comprising one tip having a length measured transversely of the slab which adapts it to scarf slabs up to a predetermined REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,125,176 Jones July 26, 1938 15 2,285,518 Jones June 9, 1942 2,285,519 Bucknam et a1 June 9, 1942 2,362,536 Bucknam Nov. 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 20 Number Country Date 111,571 Australia Sept. 17, 1940 

